Refrigerator Look Book: Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp

Fred DeVito and Lis Halfpapp are the famously fit New York City couple behind CoreFusion, the killer barre class they created, which is offered at Exhale Spas across North America. The fridge at Chez CoreFusion is a lot like you’d expect—lots of veggies and water. It’s their fondness for cold beer, Coca Cola, and pizza we asked them to explain.

I see vegetables have taken over your fridge. Are you vegetarians?
Fred: I’d say we follow a Mediterranean diet. We stick to local, free-range, organic meat. Lis doesn’t eat red meat, though. But we always have tons of greens on hand—kale, spinach, swiss chard, and lot of tomatoes—that’s my Italian background.

Lis: Fred has an organic garden at our little Bridgehampton cottage. In summer we plan our meals around what he grows. That time of year we have more lettuce than we know what to do with.

Who’s the head chef?
Lis: Fred does most of the cooking. I serve and clean up.

Fred: Right now I make a lot of bean soups, stews, and grains like quinoa, which is one of our favorites. It’s the highest protein grain.
Ginger, greens, and champagne

You workout for a living. Does that mean you’re big believers in the breakfast of champions?
Lis: I like to cook Scottish oatmeal—or whole grain waffles on weekends. Fred also whips up smoothies in the morning.

Fred: I’m stretching on the floor. Can you hear me? I’ll speak up. I’m careful about the too much fruit in the smoothies, because of the sugar. But I’ll use berries and banana with protein powder, wheat germ, and brewer’s yeast.

Lis: Fred’s allergic to dairy.

Fred: I’ll also just toss throw green veggies into the blender with lemon or ginger. It’s so cleansing for the body.

Is that a bottle of Coke in your fridge?
Lis: Ha, ha. Yes, we felt it was important for this photo. We know Coke contains high fructose corn syrup, but sometimes you want something sweet to drink. I don’t like the idea or the ingredients in Diet Coke. You can see from our fridge door that we mostly drink water though.
A bottle of Coke behind the salad items!

And the wine, beer, and champagne?
Fred: They’re from local vineyards in the Hamptons, and our cousin owns a Hudson Valley winery. We’re practicing balance in our lives: We have wine with dinner or when people come over, just like our CoreFusion students.

Lis: Plus, I’m German, so I like a light beer. Somehow since I was young I’ve had in my mind that it’s a beverage for athletes. It’s got replenishing electrolytes. Beer takes away your thirst. But I’m a real tea fanatic—not of tea bags but of loose tea. I was inspired by a trip to India years ago, and now I buy pounds and pounds of loose tea.

Fred: Lis makes tons of tea with spearmint and peppermint from the garden. It’s a digestive stimulant. We’ll grind ginger—we use a lot of ginger—and lemon.

Do you bring your own food with you to Exhale?
Lis: You never want to find yourself in a low blood sugar situation. I eat small meals throughout the day and have small snacks on hand like peanut butter granola bars.

Fred: We try to eat home-cooked food. I learned the cook-on-Sunday tradition from my mother. She inspired me to make really hearty but simple foods, and I really enjoy it. Sometimes we’ll take the soups and leftovers to work.

You mentioned simple foods, it that a philosophy of yours? Do you not go in for the big deal superfoods of the moment then?
Fred: Food is fuel. It’s about getting the right balance of veggies and proteins. I’m a fan of real food, like Michael Pollan says, and of the editors at Men’s Journal, who advocate eating power foods like berries, nuts, and lean meats. I always carry raw almonds in my bag.

Do you go out to eat?
Lis: We have a favorite local pizza place that serves a thin gluten-free crust with spicy marinara. We’ll have it with a salad, glass of wine, and lots of water.

Fred: It’s about small portion sizes. And once a month we do a juice day. Just to take a break.